Geburtstage » and get a win against a good team," Os

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brian Vickers is ready to go racing again. Vickers said Thursday he is off blood thinners and plans to run the entire Sprint Cup schedule this season, beginning with next months Daytona 500. Vickers still must be medically cleared by NASCAR before the race. The 30-year-old Vickers missed the final five races last season after doctors discovered a blood clot in his right calf in October. He also missed the final 25 races of 2010 because of blood clots and heart surgery. Aarons will be his full-time sponsor for the No. 55 Toyota car for the season. "Im ready," Vickers said. "Ive never been more excited to get back in a car." Vickers has run 22 races with Michael Waltrip Racing and has 10 top-10 finishes. He won last July at New Hampshire, snapping a 75-race winless streak. "Its been tough, but I look back at the whole experience and Im thankful for it," Vickers said. "Certainly there were a lot of moments when I wasnt sure if there was going to be a next time for anything. Once that was behind us it was, Will I ever be back in a Sprint Cup car again?" Vickers credits the support of his family and friends for helping him get back to where he is today. Vickers said the entire experience has taught him patience, something he said hes lacked. "Ive learned a lot that you just cant force things," he said. "As much as you want things to happen faster, you just cant force that. You have to be patient and wait." Vickers knows there is always a chance the clots could return. If thats the case, he will go back on blood thinners. "There is risk that you can get clot, or I can get another clot," Vickers said. "But its a very low percentage if unprovoked. There is a big distinction between provoked and unprovoked when it comes to clotting." Vickers said the most recent clotting incident came after he had his foot immobilized for a month in a protective boot. "If I were to break my leg and go into a cast, my odds would increase a lot," he said. Vickers is focused on Daytona, where he hasnt raced since 2011. In 14 Sprint Cup races at Daytona, Vickers best career finish is seventh. "Its been a long time," Vickers said. "To get back down there is always special. Im curious to see if that energy and excitement and that love is going to feel the same this year as it did the first time I went to Daytona. I have a feeling it will, especially having gone through as much as I did to get back there." Wholesale New Balance Canada . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. New Balance Canada Sale . The Durban-based Sharks withstood a furious second-half fightback to beat the Queensland Reds 35-20 for a fourth straight win which gave them a five-point lead atop the championship table. The Hamilton-based Chiefs scored two late tries to beat the Cape Town-based Stormers 36-20 for their third win, after the Stormers rallied from 24-6 down to 24-20 with six minutes remaining. http://www.wholesalenewbalancecanada.com/ . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p. New Balance Sale Canada . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. Cheap New Balance Canada . Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period.ST. LOUIS -- David Backes and the St. Louis Blues power-play unit found that the best way to break out of a slump is to get back to basics. Alexander Steen scored his league-leading 15th and 16th goals and the slumping power play woke up with three goals in a 7-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. St. Louis has won seven of nine and is off to the fastest start in franchise history with 12 wins in its first 17 games. Colorado lost back-to-back contests for the first time this season. Backes, Derek Roy, Vladimir Tarasenko, Chris Stewart and Jay Bouwmeester also scored for the Blues, who have won their last five home meetings with the Avalanche. T.J. Oshie added four assists for the first four-point game of his career. The Blues were 3 for 4 on the power play, breaking out of a 1-for-15 skid that spanned the previous five-plus games. Roy, Backes and Stewart scored on the power play. Oshie had two power play assists. "We simplified and started shooting the puck," Backes said. "We got a few ugly ones in front to start it off. From that, we hopefully learned our lesson that scoring one out of 20 that are pretty isnt worth it, when we can score a couple a game if we just do things the hard way and shoot the puck." The three man-advantage goals are a season-high for the Blues. "A lot of it has to do with how much we were shooting the puck," Oshie said. "We were getting to the right spots and getting some bounces. The last couple of games, I dont think we were getting those bounces. "Tonight we were shooting and we found the net." Steen, who pushed the lead to 3-1 with his first goal at 7:16 of the second period, has a point in 12 successive games, a career high. He took a slash in the third period and was not available after the game, though St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said Steen was fine. St. Louis goalie Jaroslav Halak improved to 10-2-2. The Blues had just one power play goal in their previous five games. "Weve had a lot of good looks on the power play, but tonight, we wwere rewarded for our looks," Hitchcock said.dddddddddddd "I thought the Backes unit showed great continuity. It looked like they were threat every time." Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Ryan OReilly scored for Colorado, which lost 2-1 at Carolina on Tuesday. Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere lost for the first time this season after winning his first five starts. He was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on 14 shots, but re-entered at the start of the third. Giguere, who gave up five goals on 165 shots in his first five games, was looking to become the first Colorado goalie to begin the season 6-0. He finished giving up five goals on 23 shots. The Blues scored four times over 11:50 in the second period to break open a 1-1 game. "It feels good to be playing the right way and get a win against a good team," Oshie said. Backes put his team ahead to stay 2-1 with a power play goal 2:49 in the second period. He jumped on a rebound at the side of the net off a shot from Roy. Roy, who added two assists, got the St. Louis attack started with a power play goal just 1:54 into the game. It was the first man-advantage goal given up by Colorado on the road this season. The Avalanche were 20 for 20 on kills over their first seven road games. Colorado appeared frustrated after the four-goal blitz, taking three fighting majors in the final 3:14 of the second period. Three Colorado players were given 10-minute misconducts in the third period. "They scored on three power plays and that was the story," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. "I think its a good learning process for us." The Blues have scored first in their last nine games. NOTES: The Blues signed D Carlo Colaiacovo to a one year free-agent contract. He was not in uniform on Thursday. ... The Avalanche had given up two goals or less in nine of their previous 10 games. ... The Blues had 10 shots or more in their last eight periods. ... The game featured three fights in the second period after the Blues took control. ' ' '